This article reviews the development of my thesis that the California Supreme Court's Serrano decisions, which began in 1971 and sought to disconnect district school spending with local property taxes, led to the fiscal conditions that caused California voters to embrace Proposition 13 in 1978, which radically undermined the local property tax…

The passage of California's Proposition 13 is the best known incident in the process that can be labeled "fiscal containment." This process, resulting from a shift in the mood and the demands of the entire nation's electorate, involves a moderation of rapid growth in government and means a less prominent role for government in the…

This issue of the "Nevada Public Affairs Review" focused primarily on the politics of state taxing and spending in Nevada. The articles present several aspects of this topic, including a comparison of taxation in Nevada with that in other states, an analysis of the growth of the gaming industry in Nevada, an argument for removing…

There are three areas in which federal grant outlays to California could be affected by reduced local spending brought about by the pasage of Proposition 13. The biggest impact on federal outlays probably will result from matching and maintenance of effort requirements in federal assistance programs. Both base federal aid on the amount of the…

This study reviews trends in public library finance; examines recent political, economic, and technological changes; and assesses the impact of these changes on public library services. A history of the public library in America is presented, as well as an analysis of the principles of economics and public finance which reveals that current…

This report documents the recent course of events in government spending, taxing, and employment at all three levels of government. It also speculates on the nature and causes of fiscal containment in its myriad forms. The report devotes one chapter to a case study of city budgets in Los Angeles during the five years of rapid growth immediately…

Describes the structure and scope of California's public postsecondary education system and discusses: (1) recurrent education within this system; (2) the recent "taxpayers' revolt"; (3) the impact of Proposition 13 on recurrent education; and (4) the difficulties faced by recurrent education because of new public expenditure priorities…

A case study on the effects of Proposition 13 on California higher education is described. Community colleges had to temporarily reduce some of their programs, and the control for community colleges has been shifted to the state. The four-year colleges have been affected by substantial increase in student fees. (Author/MLW)